Coach and Athlete Relationship:
A good Trainer or Coach will make it a point to build a strong rapport w/ each of his or her athletes. There should always be an open line of communication between coaches and athletes. It is a coach's job to earn the respect of each athlete and the athlete should earn the respect of the coach. So how do you do this?
First and foremost; check your ego at the door. This goes for both; coaches and athletes! Teenage athletes are told what to do and how to do it by 50 people per day. The last thing a teen wants is someone else telling them what to do. Build a relationship w/ the athlete. Figure out what is going on in their mind and then mentor and coach accordingly. Teens deal with a lot on a daily basis; between parents, teachers, friends, social media, grades, etc. they could be on a mental high or low on any given day. If you are yelling, screaming, cursing, and barking orders then you are just doing the same thing as everyone else. Every athlete is motivated differently, so if you think that it is a one size fits all then you are poorly mistaken.
As a Coach or Trainer, we play a huge part in a young athletes life. How you mentor them could change a kids life in a really positive way or a really negative way. If you think that showing up for work, training your athlete and going home is all there is to being a coach then you are in the wrong business. These kids rely on us, and to some of them, we may be the only positive role model in their life. Every athlete should have his or her coach's/trainer's personal cell and know that they can reach out at anytime with any question or issue whether is related to training or not. And every coach/trainer should have every athletes personal cell and we as coach's should make it a point to check in on a frequent basis.
A Coach/Athlete relationship is NOT temporary, its a life long investment. Do it right, be a positive role model, and change a life!
Rob Bolz
Founder and CEO
123 Total Fitness